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Bag Ladies

Local design studio Glad & Young has shoppers carrying color all over the city.

When they started Glad & Young, their joyful design studio, Erica Verges and Anna Bryant Zietz weren’t trying to fill a void in the small-batch leather and canvas goods market—that was a happy accident. “As we have grown, we’ve realized just how male-dominated and utilitarian most handmade leather goods are,” says Zietz. “We enjoy the challenge of working outside that box as much as possible, and trying to be playful with what we do at every opportunity.” Challenge, met: The duo has curated a deeply vibrant and handcrafted brand for both the habitués of their bright totes, wallets and fanny packs, and their 2.6K Instagram followers. The team uses the Glad & Young feed to showcase their goods as well as their feminist views. “For us, being earnest, honest and true to ourselves is the only rule,” says Verges. Around Atlanta, you can find Verges and Zietz perusing vintage and women-led stores like Megan Huntz’s new shop, Sis + Moon’s and Tchoup Vintage. They’ve also found themselves in some good company, stocking their goods in stores like Brick + Mortar, Bill Hallman and Coco + Mischa. Other Glad & Young colorful curios include notebooks, wine sleeves and cord keepers, and, soon, the studio plans to produce change purses, laptop sleeves and the like. Verges says, “Dreaming and the designing is the most fun part, so who knows what we’ll end up with!” We can’t wait to find out. $8-$300, @gladandyoungstudio